The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
This week’s view from the editor’s desk
All Photos by Clarke Condé.
The view from the editor’s desk this week was tolerable. This weekend I’m on the road, but looking back on a week in Albuquerque of note are stories about a great new Americana album by Lucy Barna and a review of the Albuquerque Museum's new retrospective exhibit of Lee Marmon's photographs. Both are worth checking out. As we move further into August things are getting busy at the Courier. Stay tuned.
Sandra Knox of Albuquerque takes on the time trials at the Cycling Masters Road Nationals on Atrisco Vista Boulevard Thursday.
The Good
The good this week is a simple bike race in Albuquerque. The Cycling Masters Road Nationals were in and around Albuquerque this weekend. Some of the best athletes in the country racing bikes in the summer heat. It’s the kind of thing that would be great to see moved from the Balloon Fiesta Park (where it’s not fun to stand around in the middle of summer) to the streets of Downtown (where it very much could be). Maybe next year.
Ditches are deadly. Stay Away. Find safe places to live.
The Bad
The bad is what is happening in the ditch. Arguably, little good outside of maybe skateboarding happens in Albuquerque ditches. I think it is safe to say that ditch denizens would rather be somewhere else doing whatever it is that they are doing. The fact is that people get killed when the water rushes in. They are not a place for people to spend time. However, the solution is not to make it a crime just to be in a ditch. Albuquerque’s city council did a bad thing by passing a law that is just going to make it easier to arrest skaters and people forced to live in the ditch for lack of other options. Where they go now is anybody’s guess.
At least Sleater Kinney still loves Planned Parenthood even if Albuquerque City Councilor Renée Grout doesn’t.
The Ugly
Ugly is pitting funding for housing against healthcare. Albuquerque City Councilor Renée Grout has introduced legislation that would transfer city funds slated for Planned Parenthood to the Barrett House Shelter. She said in a statement, “Our response as a City to the current homelessness crisis is more crucial and urgent than supporting Planned Parenthood at this time,” said Councilor Grout. Ugly choices, indeed.